Czech Republic man plead guilty to assaulting Border Patrol agent

A 54-year-old Czech Republic man with legal permanent resident status in the U.S. pleaded guilty Thursday in a Las Cruces federal courtroom to misdemeanor impeding a federal officer, a spokeswoman said.

In a press release, U.S. Attorney spokeswoman Elizabeth M. Martinez stated Andrej Gecik who lives in San Diego was arrested Jan. 22 for assaulting, impeding and resisting a U.S. Border Patrol agent at the checkpoint on U.S. Highway 70 West near Alamogordo.

According to the federal court criminal complaint, Gecik impeded a Border Patrol agent when the agent attempted to question Gecik about Gecik's immigration status on Jan. 22 at the checkpoint.

According to the criminal complaint, Gecik tried to push the agent off of the step of Gecik's semitrailer cab and crushed the agent's fingers in the cab's door.

When the agent opened the door of the vehicle, Gecik struck the agent in the chest with his elbow, Martinez wrote in the release.

During Gecik's federal court proceeding Thursday, Gecik admitted to resisting and impeding a federal officer who was engaged in his official duties by refusing to comply with the Border Patrol agent's directive that Gecik pull his semitrailer into a secondary inspection area to answer questions about Gecik's immigration status, Martinez stated in the release.

Gecik faces a one year maximum federal prison sentence. He is expected to be sentenced at a later date.